Patrick's NHL DFS Picks for Thursday, March 30

Nine games are on the NHL schedule for tonight, and with playoff spots really on the line this week, teams need to step up, or start cleaning out their golf bags. Dallas is in Boston, and while Dallas has been out of the playoff hunt now for weeks and been the biggest disappointment all season, Boston needs this win bad, as many teams in the East are barely hanging on. Montreal can put Florida out of its misery most likely with a win while the Maple Leafs travel to Nashville in a battle of two playoff teams. One of the more intriguing games of the night though is the slumping San Jose Sharks up in Edmonton. The Sharks and Oilers are tied with 91 points and Anaheim is only two points ahead of both with just seven games left. But let’s get to the DFS picks for tonight.

Tomas Tatar ($4800, Detroit Red Wings): Finally playing to his potential this season, Tatar has six goals and eight points over the Wings last seven games. On a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist, a line that should have been together all season, they are firing on all cylinders for the Wings, well as many cylinders they can muster anyhow. Tampa Bay needs this win bad, and are riding a three-game winning streak and 7-3 stretch over their last ten. Detroit is also red hot of late, going 6-3-1 in the same time frame. I’m betting the over in this game, and there are many nice DFS options here.

Nikita Kucherov ($7900, Tampa Bay Lightning): A literal one-man wrecking crew, Kucherov is carrying the Lightning on his back while the team is fighting for their playoff lives, with a little help from his friends. If Tampa Bay does make the playoffs this year, I would not want to be the team playing this deadly offensive force in round one. That trip to the playoffs though needs to begin against a tired Red Wings team that played games Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. With seven goals and eleven points in Tampa’s last five, Kucherov is the safest bet on the docket tonight against one of the worst defenses Detroit has had in three decades.

Eric Staal ($6500, Minnesota Wild): While the Wild have been limping their way into the playoffs with a putrid 2-7-1 record over their last ten, Staal has been one of the warmer players for Minnesota. With a five-game point streak, and Ottawa coming to town, each night is a playoff game test run for the Wild, and Staal is one of the few players on that roster who can flash the bling, after winning a Stanley Cup back in 2006. Sure there’s dust on his playoff skates, but he is one of few Minnesota players still putting forth max effort for a team that seems to be coasting into the playoffs with their spot already solidified.

William Nylander ($5900, Toronto Maple Leafs): Riding a 12-game point streak, young William is making a strong case for Calder Trophy consideration. With four goals and ten helpers over this point streak, Nylander is a pretty safe bet to get on DFS score sheets. He plays on the Leafs top power play unit that is second in the league with a 22.67% success rate, against a Nashville penalty kill that sits 16th overall at 80.77%.